“Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement
run counter to Israel’s obligations under international law and
create unnecessary suffering and tension,” the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in statement Friday.

The demolitions took place in East Jerusalem and the districts of
Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron, according to the statement.

“Some of the demolished structures were provided by the
international community to support vulnerable families,”
said James Rawley, who is also UN Deputy Special Coordinator for
the Middle East Peace Process, urging Israel that the demolitions
“must stop immediately”.

In the 2014, Israel carried out a record number of demolitions in
the west bank and East Jerusalem and area known as Area C, which
is under full Israeli control.

“In 2014, according to OCHA figures, the Israeli authorities
destroyed 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and east
Jerusalem, displacing 1,177 people — the highest level of
displacement in the West Bank since OCHA began systematically
monitoring the issue in 2008,” OCHA said.

However, it is not clear how many of the structures were actual
houses or how many were knocked up shelters.

Israel argues that demolitions are necessary because the homes
have been built without proper construction permits. But the
Palestinians as well as rights groups say that Israel repeatedly
denies such permits forcing people to build without them.

“The planning policies applied by Israel in Area C and East
Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians, making it extremely
difficult for them to obtain building permits. As a result, many
Palestinians build without permits to meet their housing needs
and risk having their structures demolished,” said the OCHA.

Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem, among 2.4 million Palestinians. The Israeli-occupied
territories have been seeking full Palestinian statehood and
independence from Israel for decades. But despite international
criticism, the Israeli government encourages the Jewish
population in the West Bank to build new settlements.

At the end of 2014 Israel gave the green light to the
construction of 243 new homes in Ramot in East Jerusalem, West
Bank. The country also approved amendments to existing projects
for 270 homes in the same area and in the neighborhoods of Har
Homa.